At the Edge of the World

(USA, 2009, 90 mins, HDCAM)

PRODS: Dan Stone, Craig Stone
SCR: Dan Stone
CAM: Mathieu Mauvernay, Simeon Houtman, John Rip Odebralski, Tim Gorski, James Joyner, Jonathan Kane, Dan Fernandez
EDS: Patrick Gambuti Jr., Kurt Engfehr
MUS: Jeff Gibs, Tierro Lee

In late November 2006, a documentary crew accompanied 46 international volunteers from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they embarked on their third Antarctic campaign to stop Japanese whaling. What emerged was At the Edge of the World, an intrepid record of modern-day piracy and the high-stakes battle between commerce and ecological survival.

Tracking the whaling fleet (which slips through a loophole in the conservation laws to kill and process close to a thousand whales each season) over the glorious vastness of the Ross Sea, the crews of the two Sea Shepherd vessels face crippling seasickness and deadly ice packs. Tedium is mitigated by the frigid beauty of their surroundings (captured in breathtaking frames by no fewer than seven sure-footed cinematographers) and regular safety drills.

"Is there a sign for 'man overboard' ?" wonders one anxious volunteer, clearly anticipating the risks of an enterprise committed to fouling Japanese propellers and perfecting a maneuver cheekily named "the can-opener." Directed by Dan Stone to highlight moral as well as legal conflicts, this strikingly humane film may function as a prequel to Animal Planet's "Whale Wars" but is light years ahead in visual clarity and narrative ambition.-Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times

Winner, Audience Award - Documentary Category, Dances With Films Independent Film Festival, Santa Monica 2009

Supported by

  Print this Page

For ticketing information please phone 604.683.FILM (3456) or email boxoffice@viff.org